Trump's South Carolina win shows his pull with GOP voters ahead of midterms

President Donald Trump scored a much-needed victory Tuesday night in South Carolina, where his hand-picked candidate, Darline Graham, won the Republican Senate primary runoff. CNN's Decision Desk projected Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, will claim the GOP nomination and is now heavily favored to win a full term in November.

The win comes after a rough stretch for Trump, who saw six of his endorsed candidates lose Republican primaries this month. The South Carolina result could serve as a reminder to GOP lawmakers considering distancing themselves from the president that his endorsement still carries weight with the party's base.

What happened in the South Carolina Senate runoff?

Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's runoff, though by a narrow margin. She led by just a few percentage points as results came in Tuesday evening.

Graham's path to the nomination was built entirely on Trump's backing. The president lobbied South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint her to fill the remaining months of her brother's term after he died in July. Trump then pressed her to run for a full six-year term and visited Myrtle Beach to rally support when her campaign appeared to be in trouble.

Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., disclosed spending more than $827,000 to support Graham's campaign.

Speaking at her victory party Tuesday night, Graham declared:

South Carolina is truly Trump country.

She directed a message at the president, saying:

Our victory would not have been possible without you, and we are truly grateful.

Norman acknowledged Trump's role in the outcome, telling supporters:

The president got involved. He has that right. I never understood why he got in this race. But it is what it is, and I'll accept it.

How did Trump build Graham's political career?

Trump rarely puts his own political capital on the line the way he did in South Carolina. When he first pushed for Graham's appointment, it seemed like a short-term arrangement. The seat was already on the ballot for a full term in November, and many experienced Republicans had been waiting decades for a Senate vacancy.

But Trump doubled down three days after she was sworn in, urging her on social media to seek a full term. Days later, she announced she would run.

Graham's lack of political experience was a concern. Her brother had earned just 57% of the vote in his primary two months earlier. Graham finished first in the August 11 primary but with just shy of 33% of the vote, suggesting she could be vulnerable in the runoff.

Her inexperience showed during a debate with Norman earlier this month, when she declined to answer a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea, saying national security was not my thing.

Trump carried her over the finish line anyway. He visited South Carolina on Friday, telling Republicans he'd personally lobbied her to run.

Pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot,

he urged GOP voters.

Graham now faces Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November. Andrews challenged Graham to at least three televised debates, saying

no appointment, endorsement, or family connection entitles anyone to six years

in the Senate. Graham remains heavily favored in the deep-red state.

What does the Oklahoma governor's race tell us about Trump's influence?

Another Trump-endorsed candidate, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, was locked in a tight race Tuesday night against state Attorney General Gentner Drummond in the Republican gubernatorial runoff. The winner will face Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson in November.

The race was another test of Trump's influence, especially after his picks in gubernatorial primaries in Georgia, Iowa and Minnesota all lost earlier this year.

A key issue in the primary was a proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter at the Tulsa Port of Inola, expected to bring about 1,000 jobs. Trump touted the plant on Truth Social, claiming it

will be one of the best projects ever conceived or built, not only in the Great State of Oklahoma, but in the United States, itself.

Drummond has sued to block construction over local concerns about pollution and damage to the livestock economy.

What happened in Georgia's special House election?

Democrat Everton Blair, a former Gwinnett County School Board chair, won the special election for Georgia's 13th District House seat, CNN projects. The seat was vacated by the death of Rep. David Scott in April.

Blair, who will be the first out gay member of Congress from Georgia, defeated Scott's daughter Marcye Scott in the runoff. He campaigned on being a stronger opponent to Trump and advocating for a more progressive affordability agenda.

However, Blair won't hold the seat long. He finished a distant third in the regular House primary earlier this year, so he won't be on the ballot in November. State lawmaker Jasmine Clark is the Democratic nominee for the full term in the deep-blue district.

Blair's win, along with a Democratic special election victory in California last week, will help Democrats narrow the GOP's razor-thin House majority.

What does this mean for the midterms?

Tuesday's results show Trump's endorsement remains a powerful force in Republican primaries, even after a string of losses. The South Carolina win could discourage GOP lawmakers from openly breaking with the president as midterm elections approach.

For Iowa voters, the results offer a preview of the political dynamics that could shape the final stretch of the 2026 campaign season. Trump's ability to rally his base remains a central factor in Republican politics nationwide.